1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a tube which can be introduced into the body through a body orifice.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Such a tube, which is also known under the name of an endoscope, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,873 and is designed to permit maneuvering of the flexible end of the endoscope into any desired position relative to the body of the endoscope by means of two pairs of cables in the body of a patient. For this, each cable of a pair is fixed to a rack which is movable in the lengthwise direction of the elongated housing, while a single toothed wheel is placed between the pair of racks belonging to one pair of cables, which toothed wheel is connected to a control knob placed outside the housing. By turning this control knob and the toothed wheel with it, the racks are moved in opposite directions relative to the housing, as a result of which one cable is pulled in and the other cable paid out, so that the flexible end of the endoscope is moved in one plane. Due to the fact that provision is made for two pairs of cables each with its own pair of racks, a toothed wheel and a control knob, operation of the two control knobs permits a movement of the flexible end in two planes at right angles to each other and to all positions lying there between. In order to be able to move and fix the flexible end very accurately, the known device is provided with a mechanism fitted in the interior of each of the control knobs and having spring catches which can engage on a toothed wheel. This mechanism can be put out of action by pulling the relevant knob outwards relative to the housing.
The manipulator of the known endoscope is designed so that in virtually all cases it can be operated with one hand by the person operating it, so that the person keeps the other hand free to guide the tube of the endoscope. In practice, however, disconnecting the click mechanism of one or both control knobs with only one hand is found to be extremely difficult. Another disadvantage of the known manipulator is that it is fairly expensive, due to the fact that racks which are labour-intensive to manufacture and thus expensive are used. Besides, the toothed ring forming part of the stepwise movement mechanism is provided in the axial direction with an additional edge serving to prevent accidental movement from the disconnected state to the coupled state, and the provision of such an edge requires an additional operation and is thus expensive.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a tube which is provided with a manipulator 5 which can be controlled without any problem with one hand also for disconnecting the stepwise movement mechanism, and which can also be manufactured considerably more cheaply than the known tube.